Devices for removing contaminants from a fluid are known.
Fluid based systems, such as refrigeration systems, may become contaminated owing to a system failure, such as a failed compressor or motor, a leak in a part of the closed fluid system, improper servicing and the like. Contaminants typically include liquid or water vapor, oil, solder, and by-products of over-heated system components, such as coils, seals, valves, compressors and motors.
When a user switches a refrigerant in a system to a different refrigerant, such as when switching over from R-12 to R-134, residual oil from a prior installation is considered a contaminant.
In a refrigeration system, a current method requires the removal of contamination by flushing virgin refrigerant through the system into a container, such as an OZ™ saver bag or a similar device, or a refrigerant recovery cylinder. These known methods have an inherent drawback in that refrigerant is transferred at a low differential pressure. The operation is thus time-consuming and costly. In the case where a tank is used, a vacuum must be “pulled” in order to generate a differential pressure.
In addition, known methods require the subsequent evacuation of the contaminant/refrigerant containing container after use, thus lengthening the time required for the contaminant removal procedure.
Still further, in the case of water vapor contamination, there is a time-consuming evacuation procedure using a vacuum pump to pull the system down to a pressure differential in the 30 millitorr range for 20–30 minutes.